3.25.2011
3.23.2011
3.18.2011
Helping Japan (without money!)
3.03.2011
2.26.2011
Guaranteed to cost me some friends
2.21.2011
The glamour of Delta travel?
1.22.2011
Experiencing LeaderSHIFT Together
Enrollment is now open for our first leadership course, Experiencing LeaderSHIFT Together. Fueled by the drive to be bigger and better, today’s church has adopted principles and practices created by the corporate world. The result is a toxic mix of the spiritual and the secular, where success is measured in numbers and pastors are encouraged to become CEO superstars. Experiencing LeaderSHIFT offers insight into some of the heresies churches have mistakenly embraced.
Now you are invited to join the voyage away from the corporate mentality with Experiencing LeaderSHIFT. This groundbreaking resource will help you discover God’s plan for His church and your role in it.
This study is designed to guide you through the core principles of LeaderSHIFT. You will discover your place alongside other members of the body of Christ so that together you function as God intended.
What to expect during Six Weeks to LeaderSHIFT
This course consists of SIX weekly meetings. Each session will feature a DVD-video lesson, followed by group discussion. The class will alternate each Tuesday evening between Kaneohe and Waipahu for the convenience of all participants from across the island of O‘ahu.
The Schedule:
Session 1 –
February 1 from 7:00–8:30 PM
Windward Worship Center, Kaneohe
The Zone of God’s Anointing
Session 2 –
February 8 from 7:00–8:30 PM
Mill Town Fellowship, Waipahu
God’s Plan for His Church
Session 3 –
February 15 from 7:00–8:30 PM
Windward Worship Center, Kaneohe
The Equipper
Session 4 –
February 22 from 7:00–8:30 PM
Mill Town Fellowship, Waipahu
The Server
Session 5 –
March 1 from 7:00–8:30 PM
Windward Worship Center, Kaneohe
Why We Need to Get It Right
Session 6 –
March 8 from 7:00–8:30 PM
Mill Town Fellowship, Waipahu
Team Ministry
There is NO FEE for participation in this course, but each participant must...
• …purchase their own copy of the Experiencing LeaderSHIFT Together Participant’s Guide (GOLD COVER), ISBN #1434768104 available on amazon.com and other online book sources for less than $10. (You should order your book NOW.)
• …commit to attendance at each of the six weekly sessions, arriving promptly on time.
• …participate in facilitated discussions and complete any workbook assignments.
Complete the enrollment form in the PDF below and return to:
Gary Langley
Hawai‘i Ministry Development Center
45-416 Kamehameha Highway
Kaneohe, HI 96744
...no later than 31 January 2011
12.29.2010
Christian Leadership recommended reading
- Bright, John. The Kingdom of God. Nashville: Abingdon, 1953
- DeRidder, Richard. Discipling the Nations. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1971.
- Kraybill, Donald B. The Upside Down Kingdom. Scottdale: Herald, 1990.
- Ladd, George, E. The Gospel of the Kingdom. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1959.
- Padilla, René. Mission Between the Times. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985.
- Scherer, James. Gospel, Church and Kingdom. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1987.
- Shenk, Wilbert, ed. The Transfiguration of Mission. Scottdale: Herald, 1993.
- Gallagher, Robert L. and Paul Hertig, eds. Mission in Acts: Ancient Narratives in Contemporary Context. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2004.
- Glasser, Arthur F., Charles E. Van Engen, Dean S. Gilliland, and Shawn Redford. Announcing the Kingdom: The Story of God’s Mission in the Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003.
- Montgomery, Helen. The Bible and Mission
- Briscoe, Jill. Jonah and the Worm. New Berlin, WI: Jilcoe/Hemp, 1983.
- Wright, Christopher J. H. The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible's Grand Narrative. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2006.
- Newbigin, Lesslie. Open Secret. Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1978.
- Van Engen, Gilliland, and Pierson, eds. The Good News of the Kingdom. Maryknoll: Orbis, 1993; Wipf & Stock, 2001.
- Ritzer, George. Globalization of Nothing 2. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge Press, 2007.
- Gibbs, Eddie. Leadership Next. Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2005;
- Blackaby, Henry T., and Richard Blackaby. Spiritual Leadership: Moving People on to God's Agenda. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2001.
- Hauerwas, Stanley. A Community of Character: Toward a Constructive Christian Social Ethic. Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, 1981
- Jenkins, Philip. The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.
- Lohfink, Gerhard. Jesus and Community: The Social Dimension of Christian Faith. New York: Fortress Press, 1984
- Thrall, Bill, Bruce McNicol, and Ken McElrath. The Ascent of a Leader: How Ordinary Relationships Develop Extraordinary Character and Influence. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1999
- Willard, Dallas. Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2002.
- Clinton, J. Robert and Paul Stanley. Connecting: Finding the Mentors You Need to be Successful in Life. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1992.
- Egeler, Dan. Mentoring Millennials: Shaping the Next Generation. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2003.
- Johnson, W. Brad and Charles R. Ridley. The Elements of Mentoring. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2004.
- Zachary, Lois J. The Mentor’s Guide: Facilitating Effective Learning Relationships. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2000.
- Creps. Earl. Reverse Mentoring: How Young Leaders Can Transform the Church and Why We Should Let Them. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008.
- Anderson, Keith and Randy Reese. Spiritual Mentoring: A Guide for Seeking and Giving Direction. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999. OR
- Toyama, Nikki A., and Tracey Gee. More Than Serving Tea: Asian American Women on Expectations, Relationships, Leadership and Faith. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006.
- Clinton, J. Robert and Richard Clinton. The Mentor Handbook. Altadena, CA: Barnabas Publishers, 1991.
- Ensher, Ellen A. and Susan Murphy. Power Mentoring: How Successful Mentors and Protégés Get the Most Out of Their Relationships. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2005.
- Debra K. Farrington, 2000. Living Faith Day by Day: How the Sacred Rules of Monastic Traditions Can Help You Live Spiritually in the Modern World. Perigee.
- J. Oswald Sanders, 1994. Spiritual Leadership. Moody Press.
- Jane Vella, 2002. Learning to Listen, Learning to Teach: The Power of Dialogue in Educating Adults. Jossey‐Bass.
- Etienne Wenger, Richard McDermott, and William M. Snyder, 2002. Cultivating Communities of Practice. Harvard Business School Press.
- Philip D. Kenneson, 1999. Life on the Vine: Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit in Christian Community. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
- Kouzes, James M. and Barry Z. Posner. The Leadership Challenge. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003
- Clinton, J. Robert. The Making of a Leader. Colorado Springs: NAV Press, 1998
- Clinton, J. Robert. Leadership Emergence Theory. Altadena: Barnabas Publishers, 1989
- Trebesch, Shelley. Isolation. Altadena: Barnabas Publishers, 1997
- Kinnaman, Gary D. Leaders That Last: How Covenant Friendships Can Help Pastors Thrive. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books,
- 2003.
- McNeal, Reggie. A Work of Heart: Understanding How God Shapes Spiritual Leaders. San Francisco: Jossey‐Bass, 2000.
- McNeal, Reggie. Practicing Greatness: 7 Disciplines of Extraordinary Spiritual Leaders. San Francisco: Jossey‐Bass, 2006.
That should keep you busy for a while. I can post more... many, many more...
Season of Seeking audio #1
11.13.2010
TSA groping
11.03.2010
A missionary in a foreign culture
11.02.2010
11.01.2010
Is It True That “1 in 10 Teens Has Had a Same-Sex Partner”? – Kevin DeYoung
Be suspicious of statistics, especially those that seem too good or too bad or too surprising to be true.
You may have seen this amazing news headline: 1 in 10 Teens Has Had a Same-Sex Partner. The story on AOL Health begins this way:
Nearly one in ten teens has had a same-sex partner — double what previous research has shown, according to a surprising new study.
The latest findings, published in the journal Pediatrics, reveal that 9.3 percent of teenagers say they have had at least one partner who is the same sex as they are.
That’s about twice as many as indicated in a 2002 study of Massachusetts and Vermont teens showing 5 to 6 percent of teenagers had had same-sex partners.
“I don’t know that it means there’s an increase in prevalence,” said Massachusetts psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Carlat, AOL Health’s mental health expert. “As homosexuality has become more and more accepted in society, people are more willing to acknowledge their sexuality than they used to be.”
Wow! Who knew? 1 in 10 American teenagers has had a same-sex partner?! That’s really terrible/terrific (depending on your point of view). What a revelation!
The only problem with this revelation is that it’s false. If the reporter for AOL had taken time to read just the abstract for the Pediatrics article she may have seen the heading “CONCLUSIONS” (in all caps) and noted this summary:
Of sexually active adolescents, 9.3% reported a same-sex partner, a higher estimate than other published rates.
AOL speaks of 1 in 10 teens; the original article concludes 9.3% of sexually active adolescents reported a same-sex partner. There’s a big difference. The survey analyzed data from 17,220 teenagers. Of those, 7,261 (or 42%) reported having had sex. So according this study 58% of teens are not having sex with anyone and 9.3% of those have, had same-sex partners, or 3.9% of the total sample.
There are other reasons to be suspicious of the headline. For starters, as AOL reports later in the article: “The new research analyzed data from 17,220 teenagers in New York City who filled out public health surveys” (emphasis mine). The whole Pediatric article is not available online so I can’t comment on the ins and outs of the methodology. But I have to believe that a study dealing with “teens in New York City who fill out public health surveys” is going to yield some different results than, say, teens in Dallas or Atlanta or Sioux Falls.
And then there’s the disturbing information, which the AOL article also reports, that “About a third of teen boys who had bisexual experiences said they’d had forced sex, compared to 6 percent of boys who reported having only heterosexual experiences.” Later the article says that 36% of girls with bisexual experiences and 35% of boys with bisexual experiences endured some kind of “dating violence” in the past year. So, at the very least, a good chunk of the teens with a “same-sex partner” were forced into this experience. Indeed, the journal abstract concludes: “Adolescents with both-sex partners reported a marked prevalence of dating violence and forced sex.”
The lesson in all this is, once again, to be wary of dubious data. It is not true that 1 in 10 teens have had a same-sex partner. What’s true is that around 4% of teens in New York who filled out a public health survey reported a same-sex experience, and that a not insignificant number of those experiences were forced in some way.
Don’t believe everything you hear.
Be careful how you read and interpret statistics, especially in popular media; sometimes there is a reporting agenda, and more often there is just sloppy reporting or the inability of the reporter to ask the hard questions
10.26.2010
Be smart, Hawaii - look FORWARD!
The winds of political change are really roaring across America and the agenda of the current Presidential Administration and the current Congress is being soundly repudiated and rejected by the electorate. People who had never been involved in politics and had never attended any kind of rally or protest took to the streets by the hundreds of thousands to raise their voices in protest. They were largely discounted by the national media because the crowds were mostly white, mostly middle-aged and older, mostly conservative, mostly Christian, mostly middle-class -- the people nobody ever expected to organize and protest. Every major poll suggests that the liberal/left control of Congress has hit a brick wall and will come to an abrupt end on election day. The Republicans are about to gain decisive control of the House of Representatives, and might gain control of the Senate. If Hawaii is to have an effective presence and voice in Congress for the next two years, it is important that we send to Congress some representatives of the party in power. If we vote along plantation party of the past lines and send Democrats to Washington we will spend the next two years out of sync with every piece of major policy shift about to happen, and will see Hawaii out of the loop. Get smart, Hawaii. Pick a winner from the team that is about to sweep the championship!